Simpson Barracks is an
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
facility in the suburb of
Yallambie in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
,
Victoria,
Australia. It is named after Major General
Colin Hall Simpson
Major General Colin Hall Simpson, (13 April 1894 – 23 August 1964) was an Australian Army officer who rose to the rank of major general as Signal Officer in Chief during the Second World War. He was one of the founders of Amcal, the large ...
, Signals Officer-in-Charge of Allied Land Forces during the Second World War.
Simpson Barracks is home to the DFSS (
Defence Force School of Signals), Financial Services Unit,
Defence Force School of Music
The Defence Force School of Music (DFSM) trains all musicians for the Australian Defence Force. It is located at Simpson Barracks in Yallambie, Victoria, Australia. The DFSM was established in 1984 and provides training courses to musicians wishing ...
, and the headquarters of
4th Brigade. It also has depots for
4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse
The 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse (4/19 PWLH) is a cavalry regiment of the Australian Army. The regiment in its current composition was formed in 1948 when the Citizens Military Force (CMF) was re-raised after the completion of the demob ...
Regiment and
108th Signals Squadron.
It also is the main workshop for 105 Field Workshop (
RAEME). It also houses the Victorian Headquarters for the
Australian Army Cadets, 402 Squadron, Australian Air Force Cadets and 39 Army Cadet Unit Watsonia.
Simpson Barracks
was constructed out of red brick which was the style in the mid 1930s and during the Second World War, red brick was discarded in favour of timber buildings clad with corrugated galvanised iron or asbestos sheet.
The Simpson Barracks Post Office opened on 31 March 1987 replacing the Macleod office open since 1923, and was closed in 1996. A Watsonia Military Post Office was open from 1942 until 1946 and a Watsonia Camp office was open from 1948 until 1952.
Simpson Barracks also has its own chapel, where over 250 weddings have been celebrated since it opened in 1971. It was modelled on the chapel in Nui Dat in South Vietnam. The Simpson Barracks Chapel has seating capacity for 80 people, and has a regular Eucharist/Mass. Baptisms and funerals are also held there.
The Royal Australian Army Corps of Signals Museum and Royal Australian Army Pay Corps Museum are located at Simpson Barracks.
References
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Buildings and structures in the City of Banyule
Barracks in Australia
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